meadowlarklogs | ARRIVAL LOG #025

ARRIVAL LOG #025

WHO: Everyone! Naked everyone!
WHERE: All over New Amsterdam.
WHEN: June 20-27
WHAT: Summer Solstice and newbies showing up.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, nudity, drinking, and some shady herbs.

> ARRIVAL LOG #025

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound, light, color, and sensation. It's hard to grasp onto anything but a series of rhythmic beeps, a medicinal astringent smell, and the sensation of movement beneath you. Your eyes are heavy and you struggle to keep them open, but in the glimpses between slow blinks, you see a man in front of you dressed in all white. There isn't any other visibility. Not yet.

You realize there is one other next to you who's dressed the same way as you. To your left there's an armored interior door, two more people visible, and large, hulking buildings passing by through the window. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

When the vehicle stops, a nurse steps into view. His jaw is set as he pulls the IV out of your arm. "Just a small delivery today," he murmurs to himself.

The nurse opens up the van's door soon after, and he steps out, monitoring the way the two heavily armed soldiers yank you out. "Same orders as usual," one of the soldiers—a woman, going off her voice—says. "Head to the front and into the bar. Don't go anywhere else. Look for the glow in people like you. And once you do, listen to them."

They don't waste any time after that. After surveying the area to make sure no one's about to come out and stop them, they quickly climb back into the van and pull off. And pulling off means coming to a hover before rising up and flying away. These "roadways" are in the sky.

With them gone, all that's left is two newcomers with no choice but to follow the instructions they've been given.

◉ Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request – and that includes the message passed on from the mysterious patron.

Soon after, a note arrives once again in all of the Displaced's inboxes:

The new batch is coming in. Sorry for the lack of advance notice, but I can't keep people on staff if they run the risk of being identified by you. Some of you have a reputation for making things hard for people like them. Take care of these newcomers. There's just the two for now.

PM

As with before, the message can't be traced to any particular location or identity, instead reading as if it comes from a specifically tailored UN broadcasting alert.

> SUMMER SOLSTICE

Once the newcomers head out of the alley, they'll see a city that is both in disarray and in the middle of celebration. People will pass by them in very little clothing, showing off almost every inch of their skin. They'll likely have a flower crown or flower wreath on them—if not both—and a drink in their hand. The smell of alcohol will be thick in the air, and debauchery will be the name of the game. Fortunately, these two newcomers won't have far to go, but there is the sense that this is a city that appears to be recovering with a great deal of alcohol. At least: that's the tone that's been set.

The reality is that the newly elected Governor of New Amsterdam, Joseph Lynch, and his Lieutenant Governor, Amabel Delafield-Chapin, pulled together a Summer Solstice celebration to help New Amsterdam's citizens move forward, one that's inspired by the Swedish Midsummer celebrations from before World War III. While Summer Solstice has always been celebrated in New Amsterdam on a much smaller scale—think a long weekend at a rented out skypark with screens up to prevent anyone from seeing a great deal of nudity—the Governors decided to go big this time. It's been a few months since New Amsterdam had anything fun. This celebration is their gift to their citizens in a time when it's much needed.

So, what's going on around New Amsterdam with this celebration going on?

> AND THAT'S WHAT YOU MISSED IN NEW AMSTERDAM
It may be borderline impossible to summarize everything that's happened in New Amsterdam since the Displaced first turned up, but we'll give a go at it. The important part? This city's seen a lot of tragedy between giant kaiju attacks, people being hit with a rage sickness, an EMP that killed lots of people, and later a simulation that dragged people into an experience of a war from hundreds of years ago to be a part of an AI's revenge scenario. Did these people ask for this? Not in the least. Most recently, the city was hit by a monster attack, though thanks to those strange people with the blue glowing chests (known to each other colloquially as "the Displaced"), it fared better than the other megacities around the world. For once.

Of course, New Amsterdam tends to be the site of some weird stuff. For instance: around last December, the city started growing lots of plants out of every hole, and that hasn't seemed to stop. What was once a bulking metropolitan city with skyparks being the common source of greenery is now a weird merger of a forest-like city.

To top that off, there are some people who have been worshipping the Displaced around the city, painting and building little shrines to them. These people tend to be marked with sacred geometry tattoos. These people aren't in the majority in the city by any means, but they were the first "fans" of the Displaced. Now that the Displaced are becoming known (not for being people from another world, but for their feats to help the city and their glowing blue chests), their shrines are probably getting more notice.

On a more normal note, after the last Governor of New Amsterdam abdicated her post, there was an election! The new Governor of New Amsterdam is Joseph Lynch, and he's reinstated the Lieutenant Governor position for the pro-Displaced politician, Amabel Delafield-Chapin. Interestingly enough for the solstice events ahead, Delafield-Chapin was supported by those shrinemakers in her run for office. Though she lost, Lynch saw her promise and made sure she'd be his right hand.

> RED WINGS
The two newcomers were directed to head into a bar that is on the other side of the alley, and there is only one available: the Displaced-run Red Wings. While Red Wings looked worse for wear thanks to the recent monster attack, it's starting to look like its old self again. Bright red lights welcome the newcomers inside. The windows have been repaired, and the bar looks like it's in better shape. Thanks to the attack, there are still some cosmetic changes in progress to freshen up the place, getting rid of the booths and replacing them with tables, but this appears to be a work in progress.

Business is slow right now, but it doesn't seem to be due to any fault of the ownership. The people drinking outside are walking around with drinks in their hands that they got from somewhere, but it's definitely not here.

Still, this is a Displaced-run bar, with Displaced employees helping out. If there's a place to "find the glow," so to speak, this is it.

> MAYPOLES
Set up around the city are tall, metal maypoles artificially covered in vines. These are meant to be meeting spots for people to dance and celebrate around. At each of these maypoles, there are stations for food, drink, and revelry, as well as music that plays loudly and encourages people to dance.

Thanks to the fact that nearly everyone has the day off, these maypoles can be seen all around town as sites of merriment.

Occasionally, the music cuts off to explain the lore around the maypoles, dictating that they were once thought to be magical hundreds of years ago. Magical how? No one seems to know. More recent interpretations tend to add that the maypole is very clearly a phallic symbol, but historians used to gladly debunk that. So, it's up to anyone's interpretation. Either way, these are meant to be meeting grounds, and there will be celebrations going on around them all throughout the busy solstice week.

> FLORAL WEAR
It would be a real waste if such a celebration went without reveling in the greenery around New Amsterdam. In what is only a slight snub to the ridiculousness of Mia Ballo's campaign, there are stations all around town to make flower crowns, wreaths, and leafy headwear. Some people are a bit more ambitious, making full outfits out of leaves and flowers. Some people are a more creative version of ambitious, using the wreaths to cover up various regions, if you catch our drift. Flowers aren't great for that, but hey, at least there are plenty of stations around the city to help cover back up.

> HERBAL LIFE
Want to know what else is magical during the Summer Solstice? Well, legends say that herbs are much more potent and powerful during this time. Anyone who's keen on spreading the herbal wealth around the city has an opportunity to go on planting expeditions. Thanks to the unusual growth of greenery around the city, there's a good chance that even a drunken fool can get these herbs growing.

There are single cell packs of herbs available to all New Amsterdam citizens. The people handing them out tend to have tattoos of geometric symbols that most definitely mean something.

As for the herbs? Well, we pulled together a list: aloe, mint, lemon balm, lavender, sage, thyme, chamomile, calendula, basil, fennel, fern, rue, dog rose, nettles, elder, St. John's wort, vervain (good thing there aren't any vampires around, huh?), yarrow, and mugwort.

Will they truly be more potent? Hard to say. But they will most certainly grow.

> DON'T NEED TO BYOB
Thanks to Joseph Lynch's deep pockets and the city's need for a good time, there will be plenty of alcohol available throughout the week of the solstice. Whether it's wine, homemade moonshine (which is typically only brought out during Halloween around these parts), or snaps, there is always something available. The snaps themselves tend to be lemon, elderflower, or herbal-infused flavors.

There is an old tradition that you should sing while drinking snaps, but no one's going to be enforcing it around town.

> GET YOUR FREE FOOD
In line with the Midsummer festivities, there is plenty of food to go around. Most of it is Swedish in nature. Want a list? We got you: pickled herring, potatoes with dill, (non-dairy) sour cream and chives, skagenröra (shrimp on toast), and västerbottenpaj (a cheese quiche/pie).

> BONFIRES
At night, there will be bonfires set up near each of the maypoles. The point of the bonfires is for revelry and enjoyment. Around the city, buildings will light fires on their roofs to create a skyline. The city walls will be lit up with torches, as well. The thought here is purification, as well as the obvious passion involved with fire itself.

There will be areas around the city where "fire pits" are set up for people to leap over them. The fire itself for these will be fake because of all the legal difficulties, but there is a theme of burning away what came before.

> SKINNY DIPPING IN THE RIVER
This is exactly what it says on the tin! While the river is typically loaded with boats during the day, Lynch puts a stop to all river movement to allow for swimmers as the celebration goes on. It's early for the annual river "pool" party, but no matter. The people of New Amsterdam need this.

In the evening, this will take a turn for the dirty as people jump into the river sans clothing. Want to join them? Feel free. Once more, it's not like the NAPD is going to be monitoring this. Their hands are full, and they don't want to touch this stuff.

> SEXUAL FEELING
Not one to miss out on an event built around the notion of debauchery, various brothels from the Red Light District will have deals and bargains set up around the event itself. Since sex workers won't work for free, everyone will still need to pay for their experience—but it'll be worth their while. For anyone who's just looking to add some kink to their experience, there are tents set up around the city for this purpose. Someone will need to rent it out, sign up for who's joining in, and have a good time. Some tents are larger than others, so don't feel as if you need to hold back.

A key note of all sex work and sexual endeavors around the city is consent. To keep their businesses up and running, no one is tricked into joining in or ends up in these situations unaware. Consent is the lifeblood of this industry.

> AND NOW: SHRINES
Around the town, the worshipers of the Displaced will be working hard to set up shrines all over the place. Wherever there's a maypole or a bonfire, it's likely there will be a shrine set up nearby. Coincidence? Most likely not. Underground New Amsterdam will see less festivities due to the fire safety conditions with the bonfires, but there will be plenty of shrines there, too.

Since these worshipers with geometric tattoos will be around helping with pretty much all of the festivities, there is a high chance that the Displaced can hit them up and ask them some questions. Anyone interested in doing so can hit up our thread below for this purpose.

A new mural will spring up near the financial district seemingly overnight, stretching over the external walls of several Vyonation subsidiaries. It's almost as if the artist is daring the security experts to spot them. The mural itself is of seven bright lights in seven different colors: white, blue, indigo, red, gold, orange, and black. Many of the creatures from the recent monster attacks will be pictured throughout, stylized with line variations, clawing violently and attacking each of the lights in rage. And, of course, the same sacred geometry will be pictured, framing the artwork itself.

This mural is courtesy of New Amsterdam's own Banksy type figure. They've recently come out as the identity "Legion," and it's apparent that Legion was not, as rumored before, the Displaced Takeshi Kovacs.

> NEWBIES? WHERE DO THEY DO?
For a very long time, most newcomers were relegated to the safehouse that was run by the Displaced but largely managed by Morningstar. These safehouses will still be out of order for a little while longer due to the destructive monster attacks, so these two newcomers will need to be convinced to sit tight … somewhere for a while. Although it's advised that they don't take to the streets during the Solstice festival because they won't have a neural ID set up yet, it's unlikely that they'll get in trouble for it. The NAPD is strapped for having enough officers, and they're unlikely to try to police too much of the … everything that's going on, so people without an ID won't need to worry as much.

Still, even if they have a little more freedom of movement, they'll have to get used to a few ugly truths about this new world:

◉ They'll be living on the kindness of others. While Morningstar and the Displaced have a good amount of second hand clothes to offer to newcomers, they won't be in the finest shape.

◉ The drug in their systems won't be going away for a few hours, so they'll have to deal with the urge to bark on command for a little while. At least it's not multiple days!

◉ This is a world without a lot of basic commodities. Coffee is hard to come by and extremely expensive. Paper? No one produces paper anymore, not even for the rich and famous. And bugs are the protein of choice given that they're easy to come by and don't take too much energy to source.

◉ While the Morningstar network will be set up for all the newcomers thanks to their proximity to Red Wings, no one will be able to VR and Chill until El finishes making their IDs. That means that any news reports or information about the world will be out of reach for the time being. Their fellow Displaced will need to help them out in the meantime.

◉ Morningstar will provide a stipend to the newcomers, but it'll only be enough to feed and clothe themselves. If they're looking to get a job, they'll have to accept the reality of entry level in this new world. Yep, entry level. At least it's easy to get certification to get moving on the career path if you're talented enough.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed to roam free until JUNE 26, 2512 (September 21, 2020), and until that date will appear as "@anonymous" on the network. At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up. We do expect that some characters may be unwilling to sit tight for four days when they don't have a safehouse locking them in place. Feel free to plot amongst yourselves, and come to us if you have any additional questions!

If your characters would like to hit up the shrine-makers/cultists, hit up our thread here. Keep in mind that these NPCs only know what they believe, but we wanted to make them available on this scale once more!

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

The September CR meme for the month is here.

Please check out our September calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month.

As we announced in our calendar, AC will remain halved until at least January 2021. New players will only need to provide at least five comments across two-four (2-4) threads, while older players will only need to provide ten comments across two-four (2-4) threads. Please let us know if you have any questions about this!

> NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think ... it's a different kind of situation than a human. (Which isn't the same as believing it.) The AI are very smart and all, but they're still AI. They're programmed, they're corruptible and controllable. I would be more likely to believe he was under someone's control than like, one of us.

(People make their own mistakes and choices, unless they're mind-controlled or really held against their will. Quentin can see how a program wouldn't be able to have the type of free will that all the humans take for granted. But there is still skepticism in him; he's not willing to go all-in.)

That being said. (So yeah, there's more to it.) Who is to say this wasn't that guy's plan? Cassius is in a stronger position now than he was before to fuck with us, so. He's part of our network now. (He could still be under Johann's control. It's more unlikely with El being able to check on him, but it's still possible.)

But I mean, anyone here could sell us out. I'm frankly surprised no one has.

Probably going to happen at some point soon now that you said that, Quentin.

( penny's not particularly superstitious but he thinks that saying something like that is just dooming this place to some kind of mess. and it'll all be quentin's fault.

it won't be but penny's gonna stick to that story. )

I always stick to the mantra of just not trusting anything or anyone. If someone fucked me with, they're out unless they really show some progress. I don't care if they're corruptible or controlled. Doesn't make a difference to me.

I do think it happened once, now that I think about it. I wasn't here for this, but Judas, the psycho AI? The Displaced got him, and they decided to give him to Cassius, who then gave him to creepy doctor dude.

( Quentin only knows the vague details, and that not everyone was on board it, not everyone was even a part of the conversation. )

In exchange, they thought they were getting answers, but instead the creepy doctor dude experimented on them. Klaus, the guy who owned the apartment before us, was one of them.

( So it wasn't so much they were intentionally trying to screw over the group. They had their reasons. But good intentions usually end up with the worst consequences. Doesn't Quentin know that intimately well? )

I trust people to be people, and sometimes that means fucking up.

( He looks up at the sky. )

Recently Alice really fucked us over. At the time I couldn't imagine forgiving her for it, it took awhile, but I eventually understood. I mean, our group, we're always just doing our fucking best. And that's rarely enough.

Experimented on them? God, the more you tell me about this place, the more I'm wondering if I'm gonna get out of here with all my limbs intact. I mean, they already got my fucking hair.

( not that he had a lot of hair to begin with but he'd had some and now he's still trying to grow it back after they'd decided to shave him bald. )

Yeah, but how many times is too many for you, Quentin? I'm not talking about Alice, I'm talking about in general. How many times are you gonna let someone fuck you over before you decide that they're bad news? Don't be a goddamn doormat, man.

Yeah like some real creepy horror movie shit. Klaus was there with his daughter, it freaked him out, and he was a super old vampire.

( Quentin misses the guy. It's weird since he only knew him a short time, but this is Quentin. He bonds to people in about ten minutes flat. All they have to do is be nice to him or listen to him, and his eyes might as well be turned into hearts after too long.

The question is a good one and Quentin sighs, drinking some more. He decides to crawl over to Penny and just sprawl out next to him. Better. )

Come on, Penny, you've been in my head, you know doormat is my default. I'm probably always going to give people chances.

Well, you shouldn't.

( because that's really going to change his mind. quentin's a bleeding heart and he's going to be that way till he dies, probably. it's stupid, in penny's opinion, because it just leaves you open for people taking advantage of you but it's not like he stop quentin from making those choices. )

You think people would do that for you? Give you chance after chance? I doubt it. You're the only person I know that does that shit.

It depends. I mean, it's not like I was willing to give the Beast a second chance, even if he had a tragic backstory and everything.

( Quentin actually does feel for him, even if he did end up being a victim turned monster. It was a terrible history, but he still was trying to upfront murder all of them, so that was more important long-term. He knows where his priorities are. )

I also killed Ember, if you've forgotten.

( So Quentin doesn't really extend his wishy-washy ways on enemies. But that's because it's the life of his friends, or a lot of people, or that. It's not as if he takes it lightly that he killed anyone. He also killed Everett when he did the spell that took his own life. For him it's pretty easy: who is he protecting, who benefits from his actions. His friends? He'll do anything for them. Generalized humanity? Yeah, them too. )

But I don't know, I think people can always change. Don't act like all of us haven't changed from the day we met.

I know people can change, Quentin. I'm not an idiot.

( he doesn't think he's changed enough to want to give people that many chances, though. he's not going to open himself up more than once only for the same people to smack him down.

he closed himself off for a few reasons and that was one of them. it's a protective measure and if it means he's a little less available for it, so be it. )

I'd just rather not give people chance after chance only for history to repeat itself. If I want someone to walk all over me, I'll find a nice girl and let her do that.

( that would at least be fun. )

Some people are worth the hassle. We've all got our issues.

(He smiles and nudges Penny with his foot.)

I could've given up on you for example, since you openly loathed me from day one.

(Not to mention Penny slept with Alice, but to be fair, Quentin actually doesn't blame either of them for that. It sucked, he was upset, but you know, circumstances being what they were. Shit happens. Those in glass houses. That isn't the point. It would've been easy to just go 'this dude will never like me' and walk away. But god knows he still tried, he still cared.)

And, you know, like vice versa. Me being a stupid awkward slightly racist nerd you were stuck with.

(Hey, he can admit fantasy Penny was suuuuuper racist in his weird nightmare he was caught in at the mental ward. Quentin's really gotten good at owning up to his fuck ups.)

But we're friends and we've got each other's backs now.

Who said I've got your back?

( he absolutely has quentin's back even if he acts like he doesn't. quentin is his friend even if getting him to admit that out loud might be difficult. he sighs and shrugs one shoulder. )

Maybe you're just special, Quentin, because I don't know many people who are going to give others that many chances.

( penny included. )

And I only loathed you because you were so damn loud. You got a lot of thoughts in that head of yours, Quentin, and I don't know how you deal with it.

You do. You're my friend. I know you hate admitting you like people other than Kady, so don't worry, I won't ask you to.

(Quentin's actually more used to people being withholding from him emotionally than open about it. Alice, Eliot, Margo, Penny. They're all good at keeping people a distance away from them, and Quentin always wants to be closer. He has Julia at least, always. He has an open heart and all of the things that are good and bad about that. Penny's pinpointing one of the downfalls.

He grows serious at that reminder of how Penny's more aware of how messed up his mind is than most. If people thought Quentin talked a lot and was nervous on the outside, it's ten times worse in his head. His mind never stops whirling, and it really gives self-loathing a new definition at times. He's gotten better since there are people who like him enough to make him like himself like 20% better, but he's still harder on himself than anyone else could be.)

I deal with it because it's just how I am. There's no other option if I want to keep going.

(So it explains a little of why there ere times Quentin didn't know if he wanted to keep going. He's had those thoughts during the simulation and then right after.)

You must be glad you only have your own thoughts now to deal with though.

It's weird. Kind of quiet. I think I just got used to being able to hear everyone else's thoughts that not having them there is actually kind of strange.

( penny definitely doesn't mind it, though. he can get used to the quiet if it means he's not being battered by the thoughts of others without any way to really control it. )

Can you imagine Kady in a place like this?

( penny hasn't really talked about her a lot since he got here but quentin knows her and quentin's not going to ask him for more than he's willing to give. )

Think she'd burn a building done.

That makes sense. I don't know how you did it. I can barely handle my own thoughts.

( Throw onto it everyone else, and Quentin would likely be in a mental institute for good. But Penny kept going and he was strong, capable, able to tolerate a whole lot of shit. It's impressive. Penny's power was not on he wanted for himself, although being able to teleport would be pretty cool. His envy was mostly toward Alice, considering her skill was just worlds above his, and he admired her for it. They all had better and more exciting specialties than him. Even if minor mending did have a surprise badassery to it in the end. )

I don't think she would, but I do think she'd throw a revolution or take over.

( Quentin grins. He doesn't add that Kady would have incentive to want to keep things going here. The incentive being Penny's life. He knows it was hard for her to see Penny 23 all the time, to see how he looked at Julia and not her. If she got him back? She'd never let him go. Q gets that. He'd be the same way. )

She's been taking over the hedge witches lately, fighting for them since no one else really is. (Big surprise.) The Library is such a piece of shit. Have I mentioned that lately? Fuck the Library.

You've mentioned it.

( and from what quentin's said, penny can safely say 'fuck the library' too. obviously, quentin has a lot more experience with it than him but penny really doesn't want to deal with it if what quentin says is true.

and he has no reason not to believe him. )

I'm glad she's doing okay. She was meant for big things even if she didn't think she was.

( there were very few people that penny was going to get soft and gentle for. kady was one of them. )

(Quentin wouldn't lie to Penny, first because he's not a liar, second because he's a terrible liar. It's weird in reflection because at one point he did think the library was overall doing the right thing or full of people who did want to do the right thing. But then again, looking back, a powerful organization detached from humanity always thinking they're right and know best? Of course it was going in a bad direction.)

Yeah I think she was the first one of us to figure out something was wrong with our memories too.

(When the Library decided wiping their minds was the 'kind' way to deal with the fact they got magic back but they didn't want to share it. Quentin was separated from the others by the Monster, and then returned to them the same way.)

I'm really tired of having multiple memories in my head, I really hope it doesn't happen again**. There's only so many liftimes one brain can deal with, I think.

(At least the one when he raised a kid was a really good lifetime. It's the best of them. Quentin holds onto that tightly, especially when he needs a quiet space. It's just that his brain is already overworked.)

Did I tell you that other Penny is obsessed with Julia? It's so weird.

[ooc: ** I couldn't resist.]

Julia?

( like quentin's julia? that julia? look, penny could admit that she was hot but obsessed? he's not going to go that far and probably won't ever.

so, how that pairing came about is both strange and...makes him kind of curious. did a kady not exist in that time and place? )

How the hell did that happen? She doesn't seem like she'd give me the time of day.

In that timeline they were both at Brakebills so he met her first I guess.

(The difference being that in their timeline Julia was left out, which led to a lot of the shifts in what happened with them.)

She was killed in that timeline so when he saw our Julia I don't know, I guess he just can't stop transferring the feelings about it. Which I get, but it's definitely weird.

(And honestly, it should go without saying that it really fucking sucked for Kady who had to deal with a duplicate of her boyfriend not only not knowing who she is, but actively in love with someone else. Quentin wasn't close enough with Kady to try to reach her on it, he let other people do that, but he could tell it sucked for her.)

He and Marina are the only people who survived that timeline. It was a huge nightmare.

Huh.

( well, now that quentin's told him that, when he gets to eventually go home, he's going to look at julia in a new way. kind of strange to think that he was attracted to someone who wasn't kady.

he scratches his cheek. )

See, pretty glad that I'm not in that timeline because do you really want me seeing your best friend, Quentin? I'm not good for anyone.

It was weird for sure, but I wouldn't say that. That you're not good for anyone.

(Quentin shrugs, rubbing a hand through his hair. It's starting to get a little flop in it again, although he doesn't plan on going long, probably.)

None of us are good at relationships. We're all a bunch of fuck ups. So it make sense we lean on each other.

(No reason to bring anyone else into their madness. Penny and Kady, other Penny and Julia, Josh and Margo, Eliot and him, him and Alice. They're a bunch of hot people in their 20s with a lot of messed up minds. Who go through traumatic things together and therefore bond closely.)

Like El and I are making a go of it here, but he turned me down when I first asked him to give us a chance back home. Because he was, you know, freaked out.

(Quentin is so stupidly in love with him but they don't have good luck, as he's soon to figure out. But it was basically a secret between them. Outside of that threesome when they were emotion drugged, no one knew something else had gone on.)

You're an incurable romantic, Quentin, I'm not.

( penny wasn't good for anyone because he liked so few people. there were a few out there, like quentin, that he could stand and stomach but overall, he was one of those people that tended to tear down his relationships because he could, because he had that ability.

he rubs a hand over his head and then shrugs. he appreciates the words, sure, but it's not going to be that easy to convince him that he's worth it. )

Besides, Eliot gave in eventually. Maybe I'll believe your words at some point too. Stranger things have happened.

Okay, yeah, I am, but you are capable of love, dude. You're prickly but like, also great. It could happen again for you.

(They can't go home so so it can't be there. But maybe Kady will come here or maybe Penny will find someone else that he clicks with. Quentin has no idea what their future is here, but he does know that Penny's capable of it. Even if his friend doesn't think so. He reaches over and pokes Penny in the cheek, because he's annoying.)

El gave in because the empathy bond makes it pretty impossible to have doubts about how someone feels for you.

(Any doubts either of them had were immediately covered over by the intensity of their shared feelings, the love and lust and everything else solved and believable instantly. It helps!)

Yeah, you just...hang onto that optimism for the both of us, Quentin. Because I don't really see it happening.

( he could, possibly, if kady were here because there's something about her that draws him in but she's not here. he's got quentin and he's got eliot and margo and they're fine, he likes that but they're not kady.

he sighs, rubbing a hand against his face. )

That empathy bond...isn't really for me anyway. Keep your hands to yourself is a fine rule for me.

Don't worry, I have enough optimism for everyone. On good days, at least.

(Honestly even on his bad days he maintains some elements of optimism and hope, although that's normally just the optimism and hope that he'll get through his bad periods and feel happiness again. Either way, Quentin tries very hard. Too hard. He doesn't know if Penny will find it again, especially with that attitude, but if he wants it, he doesn't see why not. He'll wingman him another time though. He's been drinking too much.)

It's actually like ... crazy ... good ... at certain times.

(Quentin grins ear-to-ear. Listen, he's currently having regular sex with his soulmate, and they get to feel each other's every emotion at the time, he can't help it. Also he is blushing terribly now that his tipsy head went there and he full out starts to snort-giggle.)

Are you really telling me about your sex life? Oh my god, Quentin, I thought the worst thing would be hearing your thoughts but now you're actually telling me.

( penny makes a face, shaking his head because he is not hearing this and he's going to do everything he can to try and rid himself of these memories. )

Look, I'm glad you're having good sex but never tell me about it again. I only want to know about the sex that I'm included in.

(Quentin just keeps on giggling because he's tipsy and the sex is great and Penny making a face at him just makes it funnier to him. He flops on his back on the ground and he is so flushed and overhot but it's totally worth it. At least Penny doesn't have to deal with reading their thoughts about sex in this world. And he and Eliot are pretty good at not making the other two uncomfortable by being loud or overly touchy in public places; Quentin's insistence, not El's. He doesn't care but Q likes to be polite.)

I mean, you know we're not against threesomes.

(Quentin barely manages to say that before he's laughing even harder that he's practically wheezing. Because remember that time when he had a threesome with Eliot and Margo, and cheated on Alice, and she understandably flipped out and then slept with Penny. Yeah. They were the messiest group ever.

He tries to sip his drink this way and it doesn't work, leading him to cough and have to sit up. Ahh, immediate karma.)

ARRIVAL LOG #025

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TW for slight suicidal mentality reference

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wrap is good with me!